Binding Promise
by love'sunny'side'up
Summary: "Take care of it, okay? Don't treat it like a toy. Treat it like a friend. Play with it, laugh with it, and never ever make it sad. If you make it…If you make him happy, then he will make you happy, too." Sasuke was seven years old when he met his best friend. SASUNARU T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Pinky-Paw Promise**

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Sasuke was seven years old when he met his best friend.

It was on a very stifling summer day and he was taking a walk with Itachi around their small village. Some would call it backwater. Sasuke always wondered about that because he was pretty sure there were no bodies of water near Suna. Itachi told him that Suna was just a little late technology-wise. Sasuke…actually didn't care about any of that. He was very happy in Suna, with his Aunt and Uncle and Itachi. Even though his parents only visited them once a month because they were busy doing boring, adult stuffs, little Sasuke was still very, very happy.

Walking with Itachi made him happy, too. Like now. But sometimes, random people would stop them and then they would make his big brother talk to them about more boring adult stuffs and Sasuke would be left there staring at them as if they were aliens. _Like now._

Stupid whats-his-face from that small grocery was talking to his big brother about last night's dinner and Sasuke really wanted to tell him to stop bugging his brother because from the look on Itachi's face, he actually didn't care.

Nor did Sasuke. And thinking that the stupid conversation was going to last longer than was necessary he did the one thing that all boys his age would have done. He walked away.

He wasn't happy now, all because of some stupid guy. He was planning on showing his big brother his latest ninja move, because ninjas do exist no matter how many times Itachi told him that they didn't and Sasuke was going to be one when he's all grown up. He didn't want to be a beesnest man like his father. It sounded very boring when his mother explained it to him. Itachi was going to be one when he grows up and Sasuke cried for his brother when Itachi told him that.

Because Itachi was going to die of boredom.

He didn't know how far he walked but he did know that he was getting nowhere near the park. He was unfamiliar with the houses around this part of the village. This also wasn't the way he always takes when he goes home from school. Maybe…maybe if he walked back he can still find Itachi!

With this idea in mind Sasuke tried to trek back the way he came from. Much to his growing horror, he didn't find his brother or anyone familiar for that matter. The houses were getting older and older, too, as if this was a part of Suna that wasn't inhabited by any. _Except maybe ghosts._ That stupid, stupid thought made Sasuke's eyes tear up because he was scared and he was lost and Itachi was nowhere!

He furiously rubbed his eyes, stopping in the middle of the deserted street because his knees were shaking badly. He wanted to go home. He wanted Itachi. Where was Itachi?

A sob escaped his quivering lips, a tear fell from his eyes and the dam broke. Sasuke cried and cried until his eyes were puffy and his voice became hoarse and he thought that if he didn't stop crying he was going to flood Suna with all his tears.

He started when a hand touched his small shoulder. He quickly turned around, thinking it was Itachi. He moaned in distress when he saw a very tall man he didn't know kneeling before him. He remembered Itachi's lecture about strangers and was getting ready to run when the man spoke.

"Are you okay, kid? Are you lost?", the man's voice was very gruff, like a dog or-or a wolf and he had red eyes! The man's eyes were totally cool.

"Your eyes are weird, old man.", Sasuke said, getting distracted with the man's appearance because, woah, red eyes.

The man blinked at the comment before brushing it off. He stood up, dusting his pants before patting Sasuke's head. The little boy blushed, just like when Itachi did the same thing to him. Then he remembered.

_Itachi!_

Sasuke tugged at the man's long sleeve. Now that he was looking, the man was wearing a really weird cloth. What was it called again? Kimono? Yukata? Sasuke scolded himself for getting distracted.

"Do you know where Itachi is, old man?"

The man's very red eyebrows (cool) rose and he grinned. He ruffled Sasuke's hair. Sasuke huffed at this. He wasn't a kid! He was already seven and in a few weeks he was turning eight! He crossed his arms over his chest and sent a pouty glare at the man. No matter how cool this man's eyes were and how…_red_ his hair was, he still had no right to treat Sasuke like a baby. Even Itachi wasn't given that right!

"So you're lost?", the man asked again. For one second, Sasuke had the urge to answer the man with a very nasal 'duh' but thought better of it because this was a very serious thing. He was already getting hungry and if he can't find his way home or Itachi soon then…then he would need to find a job already to feed himself. He didn't want to get a job!

Getting slightly dizzy with this thought he desperately clutched the man's hand. "Take me home.", he commanded.

The man blinked again before shrugging. He led Sasuke by the hand and they took a bunch of turns that was impossible for him to remember. Sasuke wiped his snotty face on the sleeve of his blue shirt while keeping a firm hold on the man's hand with his left hand. It was a good thing Itachi didn't see him crying. He didn't want that. It was embarrassing because his big brother never cried. He was cool like that. Sasuke wanted to be just like him.

"Well, we're home.", the man suddenly declared, derailing Sasuke's further thoughts of Itachi-worship. He perked up at the word home but his hope plummeted down when he saw that they weren't in _his _home. They were in front of a very old looking shop with a very weird sign and maybe even weirder things inside.

"But this isn't home…", Sasuke whispered, then in a louder voice, "This isn't home!", he cried, shaking his head and shoulders frantically and stomping his foot to get his point across. He was bawling and being a brat but he didn't care anymore! He wanted to go home!

"Hey, hey kid. Shhh…", the man, knelt down and wiped Sasuke's tears, making shushing sounds all the while. Sasuke felt a tug on his hand and he was led inside the dingy shop. A bell sounded at their entrance and it made Sasuke look up. His cries turned into soft sobs and eventually died down as he took in his surroundings. The man let go of his hands and smiled at him, as if giving him permission to do whatever he wanted. Sasuke took a reluctant step before gaining more courage and by the fifth one he was feeling giddy.

Up that shelf and down that corner, left and right, everywhere he looked, there were lots and lots of toys!

Sasuke grabbed the first thing that was within reach. It was a blue wooden train. His mouth opened in a tiny O at the red wheels that reminded him so much of the man's eyes. He held the toy under his right arm before grabbing a companion for it-a brilliant red fire truck. He found the cleanest part of the wooden floor before settling his toys down and going back to find more. All the while, the long red haired, red eyed man watched him with amusement.

Sasuke found an awesome police car to go with the fire truck and the man was kind enough to assemble a track for his train. They also found houses for police stations and some cool looking dolls to be police men and fire men and soon enough, Sasuke's little city was built, cramped up in between shelves of toys, on the dirty floor.

Now that that was done, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"How's Itachi gonna find me?"

The man, who still wasn't giving him any name, stopped on his dusting on the counter and looked at Sasuke with twinkling eyes.

"He'll find you here. Everyone finds everything they need here.", he answered.

Sasuke shrugged at that and didn't ask any questions. After all, adults know everything.

The shop was filled with Sasuke's childish voice as he played and the sound of whatever the man was doing. Occasionally someone would pass by the window, never sparing a glance at the peculiar place, as if it wasn't even there.

As if they couldn't see it.

Sasuke exclaimed triumphantly after having his police-which he named Itachi- save the pretty lady from the bad guy. He looked around him to find something else to play with. He stood up, quickly forgetting about the toys scattered on the floor as he explored the whole place in childish wonder. His curiosity led him to the back, away from the cool toys and into what looked like the storage for old toys.

There were cars missing a few wheels and worn looking bears. A doll had its hair in a very messy braid and its clothes were dirty. It was a very sad place. Sasuke wanted to cry when he saw a teddy missing its arm. On the wall was an empty looking shelf but when Sasuke looked up he saw that it wasn't empty. He walked closer to get a better look of the toys on top.

Nine, there were nine stuffed animals there, each a different kind and a different color. They didn't look very old but they weren't brand new either. There was a raccoon, a cat, a dog, some weird thing with wings and there was an octopus, too! But what caught Sasuke's eyes was the one at the end of the row.

It was an orange fox.

"There you are, kid. I've been looking for you.", Sasuke didn't jump when the man appeared out of nowhere. Instead, his eyes remained glued on that brightly colored toy.

"What's that?", he asked, pointing at the fox. The man followed his finger. He reached up and took the stuffed animal in his hand. Sasuke followed the movement carefully, as if the fox would disappear any moment.

"This," the man began, dusting off the head of the toy before looking down at Sasuke, "is a tailed beast.", he finished, handing the toy to Sasuke's eager hands. The boy held it with care, afraid to let go and break the toy. It felt so soft in his hand, and warm, yes, very warm, as if it had been under the sun all along and not in the darkest corner of the room.

"Tailed beast?", Sasuke asked, examining the many tails behind the toy. There were so many!

"Yes. It's the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"Kyuubi? What's that?", Sasuke was still distracted with counting all the tails. There were nine and nine were too many. Sasuke looked up when the man chuckled.

"It's the Nine-tailed fox."

Sasuke mouthed the words. _Nine-tailed Fox? _

The man suddenly looked to the direction of the door before turning to Sasuke with a brilliant smile. "Do you want it?", he asked.

Sasuke gasped. He did, he did want it! He looked down at the fox-_ Kyuubi- _in his hand. It was almost as tall as him and it was _orange _and it was still very warm. He looked back at the man and nodded.

"Yes, I want it."

The man bent his knees so he could look Sasuke in the eyes. "Take care of it, okay? Don't treat it like a toy. Treat it like a friend. Play with it, laugh with it, and never ever make it sad. If you make it…If you make him happy, then he will make you happy, too."

The sound of a bell signaled the entry of a costumer. Both looked up at sound of Itachi's voice, asking if somebody was there and if they saw a little kid.

Sasuke made a mad dash to his brother, crying at Itachi because he took too long to find him. The worried look on Itachi's face vanished at the sight of him. He looked up and thanked the man for keeping Sasuke safe and apologizing for anything Sasuke did. The man just waved a hand and smiled. The brothers left the shop soon after, all the while Sasuke held his new friend. Itachi didn't ask any questions.

It was already getting dark. Sasuke didn't realize how long he stayed with the man. As they walked home, Itachi's hand never left his and Sasuke's nose remained buried in the soft fox's head.

When they reached home, their Aunt and Uncle fired questions after questions and Itachi answered all of it calmly. Sasuke got scolded for wandering off on his own. Nobody questioned the presence of the orange fox in his arms.

**Hello! To those who're familiar with me from DGM, I'm taking a break from writing/updating my DGM fics because I kind of hate Hoshino now. And DGM itself. **

**This story is inspired by Toy Story, sort of, and the very, very awesome Naruto fic, 'My Little Sunflower, though the only idea I 'borrowed' from that fic is Kyuubi the stuffed toy. Here, Naruto is the toy, obviously. As for the length, I'm pretty sure it will be long, which is a bad thing, I think, considering my track record on complete multi-chapter fictions, which is none (sorry!).**

**And yeah, I know stupid title. I'm currently brain-dead so please forgive me.**

**Soooo…..REVIEW?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Binding Promise**

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"What are you doing, Sasuke?", his Aunt's confused voice broke the early morning silence.

"I'm trying to feed my friend.", Sasuke answered. He heard a sigh and frowned. Why was his Aunt sighing? He _was _feeding his friend his pancake because he was already full. Nothing was wrong with that.

The sound of footsteps alerted Sasuke of Itachi. Turning around in his seat, he greeted his brother. "Morning, 'Tachi!"

Itachi rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times at Sasuke. Sasuke blinked back before turning back to the difficult task of feeding his friend. It seemed his friend didn't want pancakes in the morning, judging by the tight lipped attitude it was showing Sasuke.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" This time it was Itachi.

Sasuke huffed. "I'm feeding my friend." He glared at said friend before turning it to Itachi. Itachi's eyebrow rose.

"What's its name?", Itachi finally asked, mouthing a thank you to his Aunt as she handed him a plate.

Sasuke's glare lessened as he thought about the question.

It had been a week since he received Kyuubi and since then the two was inseparable. Except for when Sasuke went to school. He really wanted to bring his friend to school so he could have someone to talk to and he didn't have to stay with all those girls following him. He hated school even though he always gets good grades. The other boys hated him for some reason and the girls were just annoying.

He knew the man called his friend _Kyuubi no Kitsune _but Sasuke didn't like the name. He had asked Itachi about it and found out that the Kyuubi was a _youkai_, a monster. His friend wasn't a monster. It was too bright to be one.

"I'll tell you when it gets one.", he answered shortly. His friend was sending him an angry look so Sasuke just sighed and put the spoonful of syrupy pancake back on his plate. Sasuke really couldn't blame his friend; he didn't like pancakes, too.

* * *

Sasuke was having the best birthday of his life, ever!

There were cakes and gifts and tomatoes -THANK YOU, ITACHI!- and lots of food. Even his cousin, Sai, was there. Sasuke liked his gift, too. It was a complete Ninja Set and the color matched the toy sword Itachi gave him. Black.

Aunt had asked him earlier that day if he invited any of his classmates. His answer had been a big, fat no. It was a very stupid question and Sasuke had been _mad_ at his Aunt for even asking it that he didn't talk to her for _hours_. Then his Aunt called him to the kitchen with the promise of cake and everything was right in the world.

Sai came after lunch. Obito was nowhere and Uncle Madara was abroad, thank goodness. He didn't like Uncle Madara that much. He was like Sasuke's father only ten times _worse_. He didn't even want to know what Sai went through every day, being his son and all.

Sai and he went to Sasuke's room and he introduced Sai to his friend. For a few minutes, his cousin was very quiet. Sasuke wanted to fidget real badly. What if Sai didn't like his friend? What if Sai liked his friend too much and would want to have it himself?

After a while Sai smiled brightly, eyes closing in amusement.

"I always knew you were dickless."

Sasuke translated that as an acceptance and approval…sort of. You just can never know with Sai. And Sasuke was going to ask Itachi later what a dick was.

They had cake for snack because Sai had been late for lunch. All afternoon, the two of them played ninja with his new friend and sometimes, Itachi would play with them, too. Sai started bugging him about his friend after a while, asking him what its name was and how he got it. Sasuke answered the second question, leaving some details behind. He didn't want Sai to have something to tease him with. The first question was left unanswered since Sasuke was still thinking of a perfect name for his friend.

Sai left before dinner, saying something about a dinner party with his father's colleagues and not wanting to spoil his appetite. His Aunt still gave him cake to take home, though. Sasuke was sure Obito would eat it all. His other cousin was a cake monster.

At dinner, a much unexpected gift came in the form of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. It was still a week too early for their visit but here they were, home with them to celebrate Sasuke's birthday!

He got the usual greeting from his father- a slight incline of the head and a very stoic 'hn'. He answered it in kind since he was very used to it. His mother, though, got a hug and lots of kisses from him. He really missed his mom and later he would ask her for a bedtime story about _ninjas._ His mom was a very good story-teller.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Sasuke-chan?", His mother asked, lifting Sasuke in her arms and twirling on the spot. Sasuke giggled at her mother's antics. His father was standing on the side, ready to catch them both just in case. The sound of plates being set down on the table caught everyone's attention. His feet met the wooden floor and he dashed back to his sit next to Itachi. His father sat at the head of the table, her mother sitting on his right, his Uncle on Fugaku's left side and his wife next to him.

Sasuke didn't miss the sudden tension and he frowned. He liked it when his parents were home but it also meant that Sasuke had to be on his best behavior. Even Itachi was sitting too stiffly next to him.

His mom served some food on his father's plate before putting some on hers. After that was done, his Aunt and Uncle dug in before Itachi. Sasuke was already getting impatient with all the formalities. If it were up to him, they would all be getting their food at the same time. It was more fun that way.

This was one more reason to him not liking his parent's visits much. They were too formal; they were no fun at all.

They ate quietly, Sasuke trying to make as little sound as possible as he scraped the remaining spaghetti sauce on his plate. He wanted more but he didn't know if it was okay. Next to him, Itachi stood up, got Sasuke's plate before walking to the counter, refilling Sasuke's plate with spaghetti. He also got himself an extra serving of sushi. Sasuke sent him a very grateful smile.

After that was dessert. His father excused himself when his phone rang. His sigh of relief was heard around the table. When he saw all eyes on him, Sasuke couldn't suppress the hot blush that spread on his cheeks.

Just when he thought he was going to get scolded, his mother let out a small chuckle followed by a gentle laugh. His wide eyes looked up when he felt Itachi's arm shaking next to his. Then his Aunt and Uncle were laughing and Sasuke was left to pout and sulk because he didn't know what was so funny!

When Fugaku came back, Sasuke panicked because everyone was still laughing. His expression only managed to send everyone in new bouts of laughter. He looked at his father and almost fainted when he saw the raised eyebrow. His father was _angry_!

"It's okay, Sasuke." Itachi said next to him and his mother handed him a plateful of cake.

"It's your birthday, honey." His mom said, reaching over Itachi and patting his chubby cheeks. His father grunted in acknowledgement and in a rare moment of sentimentality, sent Sasuke a small smile.

"Happy birthday, son."

* * *

Sasuke was on his bed at exactly 8:30. His mom was sitting next to him and as requested, she was going to tell him a wonderful, wonderful story. She had been introduced to Sasuke's friend immediately upon entering his room. Her mother was very amused when Sasuke told him all about his friend being a spoiled brat when it refused to eat his pancakes. Like everyone else, she asked Sasuke its name. Unlike everyone else, though, he didn't feel annoyed because she was special. So he explained to her the importance of giving it a special name. Names were supposed to be unique and unforgettable and meaningful.

"Like Sasuke." Her mother said. Sasuke smiled.

Her mother then started her story about a giant fox, a village hidden in the leaves, and a very powerful ninja with awesome skills and a heart as pure and clear as the blue, blue sky.

Sasuke dreamed of the sky that night, his friend clutched tightly to his chest.

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This is my way of describing Sasuke's dysfunctional family. Their relationship with each other will be very important in the next chapters, especially Sasuke's mother. Although she isn't a major character here, she will be a sort of bridge the characters have to cross to further their development.

I wanted to show that Mikoto is the 'stabilizer'...or something like that. She's the character that connects Fugaku and Sasuke and Itachi together. Fugaku's character is very strict in most of the fanfic's I've read and it's the same here, although I also love Papa!Fugaku and Papa!Minato fawning over their sons. XDDD

Next chapter will be longer, I promise.

**Thank you to:**

**SheWhoIsPowerful~ **Thank you for the review. And I love kid-Sasuke too, his just so lovable and definitely a breath of fresh air compared to bastard!Sasuke. I'll do my best to finish this story, although with the rate I'm going it will be a very very long time.

**IWishIWasACheescake**~ Thanks! And Of course this is cute! Chibi!Sasuke is cute!XDDDDDD


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